Red Sox Day Of Ups, Downs: Lose Ellsbury, Add Pierzynski

December 04, 2013|The Sports Xchange, The Hartford Courant

In one busy day, the Boston Red Sox brought in one of baseball's most disliked players and lost one of their own most popular players.

Hours after news broke that the World Series champions agreed to a one-year, $8.25 million deal with free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, multiple media outlets reported that free agent center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury reached a seven-year, $153 million deal with the Red Sox's archrival, the New York Yankees, on Dec. 3.

Ellsbury, 30, was a key cog in Boston's title run this year. He led the American League with 52 stolen bases in the regular season, then batted .344 in the postseason. As a rookie in 2007, Ellsbury helped the Red Sox earn another World Series championship.

Losing Ellsbury leaves a hole in center field and at the leadoff spot of the lineup. Jackie Bradley Jr. is the top in-house option as a replacement, and the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox were in talks with the Los Angeles Dodgers regarding Matt Kemp.

Ellsbury hit .298 with a .355 on-base percentage, a .426 slugging percentage, nine homers and 53 RBIs in 134 games this year.

Pierzynski replaces catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with the Miami Marlins on Dec. 3.

Pierzynski will share catching duties with another veteran, David Ross. Both players turn 37 before Opening Day 2014, but the Red Sox have two strong catching prospects, Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez, who could fight their way onto the roster by the end of next season.

During his lone season with the Texas Rangers this year, Pierzynski posted a .272 batting average with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs. He threw out a career-best 33 percent of base-stealers.

Pierzynski was voted the most-hated player in baseball in a 2012 player survey by Men's Journal.